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The cleansing, 105-degree temperatures of Bikram Hot Yoga 305's practice space creates an environment that simultaneously challenges students and helps them find the inner strength necessary to forge a healthy mind-body connection. Founder Carolina Villalba has practiced yoga at studios across the country, drawing on the techniques she learned to develop her skills. Each of her 90-minute classes are open to visitors of any skill or fitness level, and instructors create a supportive environment where attendees can feel comfortable testing their physical limits. Over the course of those 90 minutes, classes perform rehabilitating sequences of 26 asanas as well as two breathing exercises. These deep, sustained stretches methodically work muscle groups and organ systems throughout the entire body, improving strength and flexibility as they help restore the body to optimum health. In addition to providing an additional mental challenge, the room's intense heat encourages sweating and loosens tight joints and muscles, allowing students to sink further into each stretch and easily slip into tight scuba suits.

The idea of the Buddha getting in a fight might be startling, but the image that Brawling Buddha Studio represents is one where both yoga and martial arts find a home. Atop hardwood flooring, yogis stretch, twist, and pose during classes with the help of longtime yoga instructor Hayley Milks. In a padded area nearby, kids and adults learn karate, muay thai kickboxing, and brazilian jujitsu from seasoned sensei Jimmy Guerrero.

South Miami's Within Wellness Center is a welcoming yoga studio for yogis of all levels.
For a more intense workout, step into the hot yoga studio at Within Wellness Center.
Parking is plentiful, so patrons can feel free to bring their vehicles.

What services does your business offer and what makes your business stand out from the competition?
Our studio is small and yet peaceful, a place where one can escape to and disconnect from all daily worries to release tension and stress leaving your body and mind renewed..
Exercise is challenging. How do you keep clients motivated and engaged?
All of our classes combine strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility in each and every move. You'll tone and lengthen your muscles while keeping your heart rate up and burning extra calories and also find your inner peace.
What was the inspiration to start or run this business?
I first found yoga in 2011 while in search of a healthy and Spiritual life style. Ever since then I have practiced several styles of yoga. Through Vinyasa both my love and connection to yoga grew. I truly believe that yoga has the power to transform one’s life from the inside out.
What do you love most about your job?
Everything and Everybody.
Every time I teach I get the feeling I get that I know that I made someone feel better about themselves

Dona Piza left her life as a New York stockbroker behind when she turned to yoga to rehab herself from a terrible car accident. On the first of the new millennium, she opened Prana Yoga in Miami, eager to impart the healing powers of the art to an area where yoga studios were a rare species. She says that the most fulfilling aspect of her job is observing how yoga transforms students mentally and physically, as was the case with a dear friend with cerebral palsy who—through regular practice of yoga—gained the ability to walk.
At her studio, she schedules more than 70 90-minute yoga classes per week for students of all skill levels, whether they are working through injuries or honing their practice. Inside the four spacious rooms, drenched in soft lavender hues, she and her experienced instructors lead a variety of yoga styles, mainly based in the Iyengar tradition, which focuses on achieving proper body alignment with the aid of props. They also lead serenity-enhancing meditation classes, vigorous core yoga, and relaxing candlelit sessions, which help students melt away the stresses of the day. During kids' classes, instructors teach yogis aged 4–9 basic poses using animal imagery and sounds, giving parents time to attend their own yoga classes or to secretly eat dessert before even making dinner.

Rina Jakubowicz has played the roles of yogi, author, and motivational speaker, leading to media appearances on Spanish television and the Discovery Channel Latin America, as well as in the Miami Herald. At Rina Yoga, she leads an expert team of extensively trained yoga instructors, who tap their expertise in a variety of yoga modalities to guide students toward holistic well-being in a noncompetitive environment. Each location's seven-day schedule accommodates pupils of all skill levels with sessions including beginner-friendly hatha classes, power yoga, traditional Vinyasa, and dharma yoga, which fuses poses old and new to focus on relaxation and meditation. The studio also conducts frequent events and meditation retreats that use chanting and sympathetic whispers to soothe wild spirit horses. Rina’s Book, Choose Peace, is also a large part of the studio’s curriculum and appears during seminar discussions that cover healthy lifestyle choices and a 15-step guide toward peaceful transformation.

Groupon Guide

No matter how relaxed and centered you are, it’s still a hassle to lug a bulky bolster and mat to yoga classes. A yoga bag seems like the perfect solution—but those can run upwards of $80 at boutique retailers. Take a deep breath; this simple DIY details how to sew your own yoga bolster and strap. The bolster—outfitted with a handle—allows bodies to ease into supported chest- and back-opening poses. The strap serves as a tool for carrying a mat around town, and for holding particularly difficult poses in class. The price tag puts wallets at ease, too, as you can get all the components for about $25. What You Need:Sewing machine Thread
Needle Iron Tape measure 3 yards of fabric 4 yards of cotton batting (get the organic kind if you really want to impress your fellow classmates) Some basic sewing skills—or a willingness to learn!What You Do:Note: Unless otherwise specified, sew each piece with the pattern sides facing each other. Make sure to press your seams between each step. Set-up: 1. Iron all the fabric. 2. Cut out the necessary pieces: Front and Back Main Panels (2): 10”x30” Side Panels (2): 5”x30” Top and Bottom Panels (2): 10”x5” Bolster Strap (1): 8”x4” Yoga Strap (1): 2 yds.x5”Bolster:3. Sew Side Panel A to Top Panel.4. Fold the Bolster Strap in half and sew the edges together. Turn the strap inside out so that the pattern sides are showing. Iron the strap flat, and sew ½ inch seams on both edges. Fold the ends under ¼ inch, and sew them flat. 5. Sew the Bolster Strap onto the Top Panel (which is sewn to Side Panel A). Sew Main Panel A onto Side Panel A.
6. Sew Side Panel B onto Main Panel A.7. Sew Main Panel B onto Side Panel B. Then, sew the bottom edge of the Top Panel onto the top edge of Main Panel A. Again, make sure the patterned sides of the fabric are facing each other when you do this! 8. Sew the Top Panel’s remaining edges onto Side Panel B and Main Panel B. Then, sew Main Panel B onto Side Panel A. This gives you the basic rectangular shape of your bolster—though of course, it’s inside out, and its bottom is hanging open!9. Sew two adjacent edges of the Bottom Panel onto the open end of the bolster, leaving two edges undone. (You need it open so that you can stuff it!)10. Turn the bolster shape inside out so that the patterned sides are showing. For a professional-looking finish, push the corners out with the end of a pen.11. Stuff the bolster with cotton batting.12. Return to the remaining unsewn sides of the Bottom Panel. Fold the edges under and sew them closed by hand. Your bolster is complete!Strap:13. Fold the strap in half and sew the edges together. Turn the strap inside out so that the pattern sides are showing. Iron the strap flat, and sew ½ inch seams on both edges. Fold the ends under ¼ inch and sew them flat. 14. Loop one end of the strap under the body of the strap.15. Fold the end of the strap over the body of the strap, and sew the end onto itself to make an adjustable loop. 16. Repeat the previous two steps for the other end of the strap. You're done!Photographs by Andrew Nawrocki; illustrations by Jess Duff, Groupon.Now that you have the accessories, read up on yoga trends:Yes, Yoga is a SportWhat Do You Wear Under Yoga Pants? I Asked 400 People.

There’s nothing quite like a yoga class for providing a physical, spiritual, and mental release at the end of a hard day. But the combination of a quiet atmosphere, close quarters, and challenging poses can be a recipe for social disaster.
To find out how to maintain the zen for yourself and your classmates, we talked to CorePower Yoga’s Ashley Kohler, who has been an experienced registered yoga teacher for more than 10 years. Do I have to complete every pose?Absolutely not. In fact, if you think any pose might be too challenging, it’s best to switch it out for something you know you can do. “Always know your practice level and be OK with dialing it back when you need to,” Ashley said. “It’s OK to take breaks, to take child’s pose, to just lie on your back and rest. You don’t have to compete with the person next to you.”Then again, if you attempt a pose and fail, that’s all right, too. “Try to keep an upbeat vibe instead of having this super-serious, staring-in-the-mirror mindset. You know, like ‘I can’t fall out of this posture,’” she said. “Just let it happen and have fun with it.”If I bring a friend, can we chat during class?“For new students, we usually say [talking to others] is great, especially because it’s a community,” Ashley said. “But we want to keep the studio a peaceful, zen-like atmosphere. It might be the only quiet time somebody has in their entire day.” If you really need to talk, keep it to a whisper. However, it’s best to consider the studio a no-talking zone.
How often should I clean my mat? Regularly, please. Luckily, most studios make this easy by having a mat spray or other tools available for wiping down mats. There are also products out there that make the cleanup process easier: “Some people are really into Yogitoes, the towels the size of a mat,” Ashley said. “[They] absorb the sweat almost like a huge body towel.” If you’re taking hot yoga, you should take extra care to mop up the sweat that can pool around the mat by the end of class. At CorePower, cleaners come in between classes to wipe down the floor, but it’s still unpleasant to step in a sweat puddle as you leave.“Sometimes we have to [tell people that] … if there’s anything around you, any puddles, please wipe them up,” Ashley said.What if I need to take a break? Can I step out during class?
If class gets too intense and you need a breather, Ashley advised slowing things down rather than walking out of the room. “That’s just a big distraction for the instructor and the students,” she said. That also applies to leaving early. The final portion of most yoga classes is reserved for savasana, a period of relaxation and contemplation. It can be hard to relax when the person next to you is gathering their belongings. “That’s a big one,” Ashley said. “People always get up and walk out before savasana and you’re like, ‘Oh, thanks for disrupting the zen.’”What if I don’t have fancy designer yoga attire? Can I just wear a T-shirt and shorts?
Proper yoga attire is less about fashion and more about function. “You want things that are tight-fitting and not necessarily loose, because you’ll go into down dog and the T-shirt will fall down and hit you in the head,” Ashley said. Make sure whatever you wear is breathable, even if it’s not a heated class.You should also leave accessories in your bag. “It’s nice to remove the jewelry. Some people wear bangles on their wrists, and they’ll be moving their hands around and they’ll be clacking like crazy. That’s another distraction, for sure,” she said.OK, we’re all friends here: if I fart, is it better to just let it slide or apologize and risk calling undue attention to myself?“If it was super loud and they’re next to their neighbor … I would want that person to say ‘Hey, sorry this happened.’ Obviously you don’t want someone yelling out in class ‘I just exploded, sorry!’” said Ashley, laughing. “It does happen sometimes, so you just kind of roll with it.”Read more about yoga and fitness:What Do You Wear Under Yoga Pants? I Asked 400 People.Seven Rules for Proper Gym Behavior

When I walked into the studio at 105F, a Bikram yoga studio in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, the heat hit me like a wall. It was 6 o’clock in the morning, and I was trying not to think about the last time I had done hot yoga. (I had been in Tucson, and I had almost passed out.)
This time, though, I had my boyfriend with me for support, and we were determined to get through our first-ever Bikram class. In fact, it was his idea to check out this style of hot yoga, which runs for 90 minutes in temperatures of more than 100 degrees.
We set down our mats in the back of the room so that we wouldn’t feel too embarrassed if we messed up. The instructor took her place at the front, and told our class of about 15 people that if we ever felt dizzy or nauseous, we could always lie down. I told myself that I would power through every pose, no matter how tired I got.
As it turned out, that was the wrong way to think. Here are five things I learned while I sweated like a pig in a sauna during my Bikram yoga experience.
1. It might actually feel good—which means you should be careful!
Once my body got used to the heat, I felt extra loose and bendy. I knew that I could stretch in ways that I wouldn’t be able to normally, and it was amazing! But I had to be careful not to push my muscles too hard (and possibly injure myself!) just because I had some new wiggle room. I probably should have dialed my stretches down a little, because I was pretty sore the next day.
2. You will struggle to keep your eyes open.
Once we had done each standing pose twice, we began the sitting and lying poses. Our instructor told us to keep our eyes open the entire time so that we would remain present in our practice. Every time my head hit the mat, though, I just wanted to melt into it and snooze. I hadn’t expected staying awake to be so difficult! (Predictably, I slept like a baby that night.)
3. You might get schooled by someone old enough to be your grandparent. Then again, you might outlast your boyfriend.
As I wobbled my way through the poses, I noticed a woman in front of me who had to be well into her 80s. She was back-bending and sweating like crazy—and she was killing it. I’m 29, and I was having trouble not vomiting.
About an hour into the class, however, it was my very athletic boyfriend who admitted defeat. He left me on my mat to go sit on the couch outside. (When I joined him later, he congratulated me on making us look good as a team.)
4. Your second time won’t necessarily be easier.
At that first class, I accomplished my goal: I didn’t skip any poses. But when I went back to 105F a week later, the 90 minutes felt even more brutal! I had to lie down about seven or eight times! Afterward, I spoke to the instructor, who said that all kinds of factors have an effect on the difficulty of your yoga practice. You might be slightly more dehydrated one day, or simply stressed out and less able to focus.
I also spoke to the same older woman from my first class. She told me that she’s been doing Bikram for 10 years, and that her body reacts in a different way every time. I guess it’s always a learning experience, even if it’s a huge part of your lifestyle!
5. You have to prep your brain more than your body.
This was the most important lesson to come out of my Bikram classes. When I went into that first one, I wasn’t in the right mental space. My boyfriend and I are both competitive, so we kept worrying about sticking it out and impressing the people around us.
Eventually, I realized that you shouldn’t ever be in a 105-degree heated room trying to outdo someone else (although some yogis do compete in national and international yoga championships). Yoga is a process, and the end goal isn’t winning—it’s being present.
There was another woman in my class who, before we started, said that she’d be trying poses for the first time today. It was her 30th class, and she had never done any of the poses before! She did a few of them while I was there, and the rest of the time, she just relaxed and breathed. I was inspired by her. She had set a personal goal and met it, without comparing herself to others. When I go back, I’m going to try to do the same.
Photo: Amelia Moore, Groupon